Kane first Hawks MVP since Mikita; Panarin wins rookie award
Some serious history was made Wednesday night in Las Vegas as Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin became the first Blackhawks players to win the Hart Trophy (MVP) and Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) in the same season.
Kane beat out Dallas' Jamie Benn and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby to become the first Hawk to win the Hart since Stan Mikita in 1968 and the first American in the history of the league to win the award. Panarin, meanwhile, won the Calder by besting Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Oilers forward Connor McDavid.
"Dad, this one's for you," Kane said. "I love you."
Kane received 121 of the 150 first-place votes and finished with 1,395 points to win in a runaway over Crosby (800 points) and Benn (637).
Kane also won the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given to the NHL's most outstanding player as voted on by the players, and the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer.
Kane's feat is particularly impressive when one considers the day-in and day-out scrutiny he was under while facing sexual assault allegations for three months last summer. No charges were ever filed and the case was dropped in November.
Somehow, Kane emerged stronger and more determined to prove that he may just be the best player in the NHL today.
The 27-year-old superstar led the league in points (106) and finished with a career-high 46 goals and 60 assists. In the process, Kane put together a 26-game points streak that was the longest of any American-born player and also broke Bobby Hull's franchise mark of 21 games.
Kane has bascially averaged a point per game since he entered the NHL in 2007, so a season like this didn't come totally out of the blue.
The big difference was the fact that Kane's shot became so much more accurate. He'd pick a spot and stick the puck there. Almost every single time.
And the scary part? He only expects to keep getting better.
"I'd like to think I haven't reached my potential yet," Kane said during the Stanley Cup playoffs. "I still feel really good on the ice. I feel there's different things I can grow and get better at. Obviously that comes into play a little bit more in the summer. You work on those things when that time comes and try to get better every year for sure."
Of course, Panarin had plenty to do with Kane's monster season. The Russian rookie phenom instantly clicked with his linemate on and off the ice as the two formed one of the most powerful 1-2 punches in the entire NHL.
"I'd like to thank my families and my friends and teammates … for support," Panarin said at the podium.
Panarin received 88 of 150 first-place votes and finished with 1,258 points. The Flyers' Gostisbehere finished second with 955 points and the Oilers' McDavid was third with 858 points.
Panarin, the ninth player in Blackhawks history to win the Calder, dazzled fans all season with open-ice moves that defied logic, a shot that befuddled goalie after goalie and a sixth sense to know where Kane was - and would be going - night in and night out.
His offensive numbers (30 goals, 47 assists) were awfully solid, but he also displayed a competitive side that impressed teammates, coaches, fans and other media members alike. The best example came on March 20 when Minnesota's Matthew Dumba flattened Kane in the open ice. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Panarin immediately stopped, stood over Dumba and put him in a choke hold as a referee struggled to intervene.
"He doesn't back down," Hawks analyst Troy Murray told me during the postseason. "You've seen it during the season at certain times - if somebody takes liberties on him, (he'll react). What he did with Patrick Kane was great. That's not the way that he's wired, but he also understands that there's that side of the game where he jumped in on Matthew Dumba. …
"Am I impressed with his skill level? Absolutely. … What has impressed me just as much is his ability to compete and have that feistiness in his game."
As the season wound down, there was some thought that Panarin might finish second or third in the Calder race, but he probably put it away with a 5-goal, 8-assists onslaught in the final five games.
OTHER AWARDS:
• Los Angeles' Drew Doughty won his first James Norris Memorial Trophy for the league's best defenseman.
• Washington's Braden Holtby won the Vezina Trophy (best goaltender).
• Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar took home the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward and the Lady Byng (sportsmanship) award.
• Washington's Barry Trotz won the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year.
• Pittsburgh's Jim Rutherford was named general manager of the year.